Your garage can be one of the busiest rooms in your home. People and things are continuously entering and exiting and the items inside are always fluctuating. If you have the desire to keep your garage clean and orderly, it is recommended that you give it a deep cleaning at least once a year, as well as put in systems that will help it remain organized throughout the rest of the year. In this article and the next we’ll take a look at both deep cleaning and helpful organization tips.
For deep cleaning, make sure that you give yourself adequate time to accomplish the project. We would suggest setting aside a full weekend for the garage cleaning. While it might not take you that much time, it helps to not feel rushed during the cleaning process due to other appointments or obligations.
The first thing that you want to do is get rid of all the junk and garbage that has accumulated in your garage. Go through pile by pile, box by box, and shelf by shelf. While there may be some seasonal items (such as holiday decorations) that are used infrequently, the general rule of thumb is that if you haven’t used it in the past year, you should get rid of it. Decluttering your garage will go a long way in establishing order.
Of course, just because you haven’t used it, doesn’t mean that it is necessarily garbage. To help you sort through the items you can make three piles: keep, give away (or sell), and throw away. By having clearly marked piles, you can make a conscious decision with each item of where it shall go next. If you have a large pile of give/sell, you can either host a garage sale or donate the items to friends, family, or your local Salvation Army.
Once your piles have been made, and the garage is clear, the next step is to give it a good, deep cleaning. Start by wiping down all shelves. Next, sweep the garage floor. Work to remove all oil and dirt stains with the proper products. Rinse off the floor to remove the final layer of dirt and grime. Once the floor is clean, cover it with rugs, mats, or other materials to keep the floor clean from spills and dirt.
While the floor is drying, go ahead and trash all the items in your throw away pile, move the give/sell pile to a separate area, and get ready to put the keep items back into their proper places. It helps to have an organization system in place so that you can easily identify all the objects in your garage. Stay tuned for the next article as we talk about how you can make the perfect organizational system for your garage.
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